


Saving Camelot

by Cakewell



Series: Saving Camelot [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Arthurian legend - Freeform, Banter, Betrayal, Blood and Injury, Bread, Camelot, College, Cookies, Cornwall, Crying, Dark Times, Death, Destiny, Druids, England - Freeform, F/M, Fighting, Food, Friendship, Glastonbury, Horses, I guess we can call this a fix it fic, I know this descrip is bad but like, I wrote this months back, I'm blaming him, Magic, Maybe - Freeform, Merlin - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prelude to War, Prophecy, References to Monty Python, Season three and onward, Somerset, Storming the castle, Sword Fighting, The Sword in the Stone, Time Travel, Tintagel, Trains, UK - Freeform, Walking, Weird dreams, all of camelot having one brain cell, are we going to bardsey island...probably, beautiful magic, becuz he's my fave, bradley james mentioned, castle - Freeform, colin morgan mentioned, do you have to suffer through my jokes...basically, eh, emrys - Freeform, feasts and beasts, fun times, happiness, hardship, i'm not sure, injuries, knights code, laughs, legend, maybe too many but whatever, merlin tv show, mindgames, more bread because yes, mystical times, mythical, pierrefonds mentioned, pop culture references, references to the movie from 1963 (which is a lovely musical by the way), sir galahad - Freeform, some crack funny stuff, some sort of festival...at some point because why not, sort of an au but not really, strange women, the age old battle of everyone's opinions on magic users, the roundtable, the tor, these tags are all over the place, uthur actually being nice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:48:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28603971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cakewell/pseuds/Cakewell
Summary: Eleanor is studying abroad in England for a semester with her friend Michelle. While there, they decide to sightsee and come across Glastonbury Tor in Somerset.This one visit unlocks an adventure like no other for Eleanor because for mysterious reasons, she's somehow woken up in the land of King Arthur and Excalibur. Join her as she struggles her way through a story we all know and love...the story of Merlin.
Series: Saving Camelot [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095998
Comments: 3
Kudos: 4





	1. Prologue

_ The call of destiny to be  _ _ unwoven. _

_ Two fates  _ _ intertwined. _ __

_ One force stronger than all _

_ Shall help all be redesigned… _

**_…_ **

England was quite  cold, damp, and gloomy, but Eleanor  didn’t mind. She  hadn’t been in Somerset  long, but she knew she was falling in love with the scenery and the people. It was pleasant and quiet and not at all like London where it was all busy with buses and people walking  to and  fro . 

She was used to a  calmer approach and spent many days walking around Glastonbury exploring. Her friend Michelle had  accompanied her on the trip while they were off on winter break. They had both decided to take a semester in England and thought it would be easier to arrive early and get acquainted with their new home.

The decision to travel to see the Tor was  Michelle’s idea even though Eleanor was the one obsessed with the Arthurian legend. However, Eleanor may or may not have thought it was an excellent idea and birthday present. 

As the legend said, the Tor was the believed site of the Lake of Avalon. However, there was no lake or source of water at the attraction now. Still, Ellie held the notion that if Arthur and his knights truly did exist somewhere in history then the prospects that this was Avalon, had to be true. There had been recent groundbreaking evidence to suggest as such and truth be told, that is why Eleanor decided to come to England other than getting her education. 

She had been enraptured by the tales of old ever since she was a child. Most children learned about basic kids shows and played outside and Ellie did that too, but for most of her early years, she begged her grandmother to tell her stories of The Born King and his court after she had seen The Sword in the Stone. Ever since then, she was hooked and made the conscious decision to learn all about the legend. Her family was happy that she had found something to be so passionate about.

Both girls spent a lot of time taking photos and walking around the structure trying to envision Avalon and all  its glory. They were both so preoccupied with their fantasy that before they knew it, the park was closing. Unfortunately, it was an hour away from where they were staying, and Michelle needed the restroom. 

The two girls walked down to the  visitor's center and kindly asked the attendant for help. The lady was more than generous and while Michelle got sorted, Eleanor decided to sit on a bench looking over the area. 

She watched the grass move in the wind before setting her eyes on the Tor once more. She thought it was beautiful and odd at the same time and she wondered what had happened to cause such disarray? She was so lost in thought that she  didn’t see an elderly man sit down beside her. His voice startled her.

“Hello.”

She looked at the man before she replied. He had long white hair and a blue cap on his head. His eyes looked sad, like he had seen the worst and  hadn’t managed to come out quite whole. This struck Ellie as odd but decided to reply the  pleasantries . 

“Hello, sir.”

“It is  a lovely day …isn’t it?”

Eleanor shrugged and gestured to the Tor.

“I guess …. I wasn’t sure what the rain was  gonna do but it seems like it stayed away long enough for an exploration.”

The man smiled as she talked…it  wasn’t creepy, just pleasant. It made Eleanor feel at ease. Like she could trust this man…like she knew him. Even though the clouds had darkened before they made it back to the head of the park, the evening was quite  cozy, and she found that the bench overlooking the Tor was quite peaceful with the man. The wind that had been previously blowing had died down and the air felt comfortable.

“Is this your first time at the Tor?”

The girl nodded and the man hummed in agreement. 

“I used to come here every day. Now though, it’s painful…reminds me of a friend I once knew.”

Eleanor  wasn’t quite sure what to say. She could obviously see that this place meant something of  foremost importance to the man but that  didn’t make what he said any  less easy to swallow. She knew loss and what it did to people. 

“I’m sorry sir.”

The man looked at the Tor and then back at her. 

“It’s quite  all right . This place just holds sad memories is all.”

Eleanor nodded. They sat in silence for a few moments and then the man asked,

“Do you believe in magic?”

The question made Eleanor  smile; thoughts of the wizard Merlin filled her brain as the elderly man winked at her. She wondered what the man was going on  about, but she asked to be sure. 

“Magic?”

The man did not respond…only nodded at her. The sadness that was once in his eyes was replaced by a  mirth Eleanor  could  not quite place . His eyes seemed to twinkle in the evening air. 

“Sorry, sir. I cannot say I do.  I have seen magicians breaking free of their chains and what have you…but witchcraft? I can’t say I believe in it.”

The man smiled, “Ah, I see. Many believe the same as you. People think that magic is witchcraft or sorcery…I thought this once myself but over the years, I have come to realize that magic is not simply herbs and spells. It is everything and nothing. The clouds and the sky as well as the skin on your toes. The sun that shines and the rain that gets everywhere when you walk out your door.  It is what the universe is made of. It is what we are both made of.”

“That’s beautiful sir,” Ellie said, she  wasn’t sure if she quite agreed with him but what he said was nonetheless poetic. 

The man’s eyebrows rose as she said sir once more and a frown etched itself on his face replacing the  smile, he shot her before.

“You don’t have to call me sir. I’m Merlin.”

“Merlin?”

“Yes.”

“Merlin…like in the stories...or that one tv show?”

Merlin rolled his eyes as the words left her mouth. Eleanor was sure he had  probably always been teased with a name as universally everyone knew it. Of course, Eleanor held the name quite dear to her heart as she has always been fond of it and the person it represented. It was strange that she was at what could be Avalon with someone named Merlin…it was unexplainable and for one  brief moment the girl thought she might be the victim of a  prank, but the thoughts quickly left her mind as warmth shot up her arms. Merlin had placed a flower into her palm. She gazed at the flower. Even though  she’s sure the real Merlin was indeed a myth since magic truly did not exist, there had always been a part of her that wondered . 

“You could say that. And you are?”

“Oh…sorry. I’m Eleanor.” Her eyes met his once more, she lightly held the flower between her fingers. 

She smiled sheepishly but Merlin just smiled back at her. He seemed  kind of  strange , but the comfort of the moment  hadn’t dissipated so Ellie thought nothing of it. He  didn’t say a word about the flower but took it from her hand and placed it behind her ear which felt oddly intimate. 

“Eleanor…I haven’t heard that name in a long time. Be careful Ellie.”

The girl went to ask him what he meant, but at that moment Michelle yelled for her across the way. Eleanor glanced at her friend and stood. She turned back to say  goodbye, but Merlin  wasn’t there. He was in fact nowhere to be found. The only thing that was on the bench was a necklace. Michelle yelled again for her so Eleanor quickly grabbed the necklace and raced over to her friend. 

“Girl where have you been? I’ve been calling for ages.”

“Sorry, I was sitting over there and lost track of time.”

“No problem. Sorry, that took so long. The lady at the front had to go through and unlock everything for me. We should  probably zip on over to the bus station. Hopefully, they haven’t stopped for the night.”

Eleanor nodded and followed Michelle out of the park. They quickly got on the last bus and Michelle started talking about where they should go next? She was going on about this museum she wanted to see but Eleanor  wasn’t paying attention. Her thoughts drifted back to Merlin and what he had said about magic. The more she thought about his words the more she wanted to believe them. 

Suddenly she felt a warmth throughout her palm. She looked down and saw she was still holding the necklace that Merlin had left on the bench. Eleanor had no idea how she was going to get it back to the old man…she was  fairly sure she’d never see him again. However, when she laid in bed that  night, she had an odd feeling. Something she  couldn’t quite place. As her friend laid sleeping, Ellie stared at the  pendant that belonged to the old man and smiled.

This day may have not been what she expected after all…


	2. Bread and Murder

It was  exceedingly early when Eleanor woke. The room was  cold, but the girl thought nothing of it and snuggled back down into her blanket. She was still exhausted from hiking around Glastonbury all day long and not to mention the old man she met. Who was he? Why did he leave that necklace? Did he drop it on accident or on purpose? How was she supposed to return it? Her hand went up to her neck to touch it. Before she went to sleep that night, she quickly put it on to hide it from Michelle and to make sure she  didn’t lose it.

She  didn’t need her friend making fun of her encounter with ‘Merlin .’ The sensible part of her brain told her to think nothing of  it, but the imaginative side was having a field day. The old man had seemed  sort of strange the way he was talking about magic and the universe…what he had said excited her. It was the stuff of fantasy novels and legends of knights that took space in her thoughts.

She was dazing in and out of  sleep, but she knew that eventually,  she’d have to get up. She rolled over to say good morning to Michelle but when she looked up, her friend  wasn’t there. Eleanor’s eyes roamed around to look for her and then quickly realized she  wasn’t in their room. 

The walls  weren’t wallpaper, they were stone. She looked around the room and saw a little table with a stool. There was a bowl on the table…but no electronics. Eleanor looked towards the door…it was wooden. She could smell bread. Before she could question this the door to the room opened, a large woman made herself known.

“Up you get girl. The bread  won’t make itself. Up!”

The woman left and Eleanor  immediately stood from the bed. She walked over to her window and looked out, not sure what she was going to see. It was still  early but the girl saw some folks walking about. They looked like farmers. 

_ ‘This has to be a dream.’ _

She had no idea what sort of dream this was, but it was best not to question it and move on and follow the dream and eventually  she’d just wake up. However, an air stuck about her, everything felt real but that  couldn’t be. Dreams were usually hazy and strange and although this was odd, she chose not to think about it. 

Eleanor looked down and saw some clothes sitting folded on the table, which she hastily threw on. The clothes looked very Medieval…as did the room.

_ ‘What a strange dream this is?’ _

The girl had had strange dreams  before, so this was nothing new. She only hoped that there  wasn’t some murderer or river monster running around chasing her or that she  didn’t miraculously drive off a cliff in this dream. If it turned out that she was a dream about baking bread or exploring some made up castle in her brain, then she was  gonna enjoy it.

There was a shout that sounded a lot like her name, the young girl went running. She followed the smells of baking and soon found herself in  an exceptionally large kitchen. There were already a few women getting things out for the day. 

The same woman who had stormed into her room was pounding  dough, so Eleanor quickly joined her and did everything she was asked of. They baked and baked until it was finally light out. The kitchen looked  familiar, but she  couldn’t place it, she had  seen this place somewhere on the Internet and now it was projecting itself in her brain as she dreamed. Eleanor helped plate food and learned the names of the other kitchen staff. A redhead by the name of Junia helped Eleanor when she found she had no idea what she was doing. They worked in silence until Audrey left the kitchen for only a moment.

“You must be the new girl?”

Eleanor smiled at Junia and helped her clean a table. The girl was  fast with her hands and seemed  timid , but Eleanor thought that  she’d be  her best bet of explaining that was going on …. even though this  wasn’t real. It  could not be...because she was a university student from the twenty-first century...who had just met a man named Merlin and then woken up the next day in Medieval times.  Yep, definitely normal .

Maybe she’d see a knight…if she could get out of the kitchen. 

“Yes…it is very overwhelming.”

Junia flashed her a bright smile and handed her a cup of water, “You’ll catch on quickly Eleanor, hurry, and drink as much as you can. We will be busy most of the day.”

After breakfast was finished and gone, the workers were given a short break. Junia and Eleanor were tasked with getting buckets of water for a stew that would be made later. However, as soon as they stepped foot outside Eleanor dropped her bucket.

“Oh my god! Is this Pierrefonds?”

Junia gave her a very confused look but quickly helped her with the bucket and hustled her along to the well.

“Eleanor…are you  all, right ? What is Pierrefonds?”

“It's a castle…in France. This place looks exactly like it!”

The redhead grinned as they neared the well.

“Well, I’m sorry but this is Camelot…we aren’t in France.”

Eleanor stopped cold as Junia continued to the well and lined up the bucket. Eleanor watched her pump water into both buckets and hand one to her. The girl took it without question.

Camelot? She was in…no? It  couldn’t be.

_ ‘This is all just some crazy dream…you’ll wake up soon.’  _ Eleanor reassured herself and sprinted after Junia who was talking about the feast to celebrate the upcoming tournament.

**…**

Eleanor cooked and cleaned and then cooked some more. As soon as dinner was served all she wanted to do was go back to sleep and wake up. She had had certainly quite enough of this dream and Audrey. The woman was very bossy and drank all the time. Eleanor learned very quickly not to upset her. Junia had left only a few minutes when she returned and walked right over to Eleanor…but someone was with her. 

“Why are you back here? Go home.”

Junia smiled at her and then replied, “I was on my way home when I ran into this guy. He’s been looking for you all day.”

“I’ve been here, plus I don’t know anyone here besides you and Audrey unfortunately.” She whispered harshly and threw her rag down.

Junia laughed and moved out of the way and Eleanor’s jaw dropped to the floor. The guy who had followed Junia into the kitchens and who laughed at what she just said was none other than Colin Morgan. Eleanor was so shocked that she  didn’t even utter a word. Junia said something about her father and wished them both  goodnights . She watched Colin cautiously look over her shoulder. He must have been looking at Audrey who was too busy pouring herself another drink.

“I just came over to invite you to dinner…as a thank you.”

“A thank you?”

“For Gaius. I heard about the mix-up and thought it’d be the best way to apologize.”

Wait…Gaius? Like Gaius from Merlin …. that tv show from a few years back? Why was this happening in her dream? Why was Colin/Merlin here asking her to dinner? Colin who was still standing there was staring at her then… probably waiting for her to reply.

“Of course…there’s no hard feelings. You  don’t have to invite me to dinner… it’s fine. Plus, I’m sure Audrey needs me for something…I don’t think I could get away.”

Audrey for some reason perked her head up at her name, as she had not previously. She rolled her eyes when she saw Merlin but then looked over at Eleanor. 

“You did good today girl. You’re free for the rest of the evening…I don’t care where you go as long as you stay out of the kitchens and come back before morning.”

Eleanor quickly nodded and followed Colin out of the kitchens and away from scary Audrey. As they walked, he told her about what happened.  Apparently, there was a mix up with the laundry…and Eleanor had ended up with some of Gaius’ clothes. The two quickly dropped by her rooms to fetch them and then they were on their way to the workshop. She had no idea what he was talking about but went along with it.

**…**

Eleanor  wasn’t sure why her dream had taken a turn like  this, but she  wasn’t going to keep questioning it so when they walked into the court physician’s home and workspace, Eleanor did a  double take . It looked exactly like the show!

“Ah Merlin, there you are. Tomorrow could you fetch me some mushrooms, I have a new experiment I wish to try…oh hello.”

Eleanor smiled as Gaius turned around and saw them. Gaius stared at merlin for a split seance before turning back to Eleanor who had stayed close by the door. 

“Is there some way I can be of service?”

Ellie took a  breathe and moved closer to the white-haired man. She held out the clothes and spoke. 

“There seems to have been a mix-up…in the laundry.”

Gaius shot Merlin another  look before taking the clothes from the girl. He seemed relieved for some reason. Like she was about to say something else...something of grave importance that had nothing to with laundry.

“Thank you…”

“Eleanor.”

“Yes, well thank you, Eleanor.”

Merlin started talking after  that, but he talked so fast, the only words Eleanor heard were thank you and dinner. Gaius seemed unimpressed but relented and bothered the boy about getting a chair for one more. The meal was some sort of soup and some bread. Eleanor thanked  both for the invitation and dug in. All three of them exchanged  pleasantries until the door to the workshop banged open. Eleanor dropped her bread into her soup and sat straight up. 

A man staggered into the room. He  didn’t seem like he could stand on one of his feet much less two. Merlin  immediately rose to help the  stranger, but he fell near Eleanor. The brown-haired man looked right up at her and Eleanor stopped breathing because she knew that face. Eoin Macken? Yet another merlin cast member was in her dream. He flashed her a dazzling smile and then passed out.

Merlin dragged him from the floor and Eleanor jumped up to help…they took him over to Merlin’s room and placed him on the bed. Merlin threw a blanket over him and then spoke. 

“Sorry about that Eleanor…this is Gwaine.”

Eleanor stared at drunk Gwaine for a few moments and then followed Merlin back to the table. They quickly finished dinner and Merlin offered to walk her back to their rooms. 

Once she was alone in the safety of her bed, Eleanor began to wonder. Everything had felt real…earlier in the kitchens she had cut her finger and it had hurt loads. She was also very tired and sore from standing all day baking. If this was a dream, why was she so fatigued? Also, why was her dream like that one episode of Merlin? When they introduce Gwaine? Doesn’t he help to save Arthur from some  thugs ? Could she be stuck in the show…she briefly thought of some of the fanfictions she had read. 

_ Wait, if this  _ _ wasn’t _ _ a dream and she was stuck in Merlin…the tv show then…was the old man in Glastonbury? Oh my god? Was that Merlin…the actual Merlin? Merlin who watched Arthur die and there was nothing he could do and then spent the rest of time waiting for Arthur to rise again out of Avalon? _

Eleanor shook those damning thoughts away. 

_ ‘If this is a dream, then none of that matters.  _ _ I’ll _ _ go to sleep and then wake up and all of this will be over. There is no reason to freak out…it is a  _ _ dream; _ _ you will wake up and be fine in the morning.” _

Eleanor closed her eyes trying to reassure herself as she dozed off and went to sleep. A feeling of dread crept into her  stomach, but she rationally concluded it was just the soup  she’d had for dinner. The girl hoped  she’d wake back up in her own bed soon. 

**…**

Morning came and Eleanor opened her eyes. She looked around the room…and frowned. She was still in Camelot. She  couldn’t still be dreaming, could she? Sometimes dreams went on for a few days  but in reality, they were only mere minutes. 

_ 'What if it wasn’t a dream though?’ _

There had to be  some kind of mistake . She sat there for what felt like hours and then Audrey banged her fist on the door yelling for her to get to work.

Eleanor shook off the dread that she felt and did as asked. She cleaned and cooked and took a break with Junia and fetched water and made stew and chopped vegetables until there was nothing to do anymore and the day was  nearly over . The girl ate a sparse dinner and then walked around the castle. How could she be here? Was she even dreaming? 

The girl needed to see Merlin…or  maybe Gaius could explain what was going on. She ran for the workshop and walked right in as  Gwaine said the word ‘sorcery .’ All three men jerked towards her as she barged through the door but visibly relaxed when they saw it was only her.

“I’m sorry…I didn’t know the door made so much noise…did you say sorcery?”

Gwaine smiled at her and closed the distance between them. The future knight had no qualms about involving her as he  immediately put on his usual charm. 

“ Yes, I did and who might you be?”

Gwaine took her hand in his and smiled at her some more. Merlin looked on in slight disgust as Gaius continued to bandage his finger. 

“I’m Eleanor…believe it or not Gwaine, we met last night when you stumbled in drunk.”

“Oh…you're the one with gray eyes, I remember you now. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Gwaine held her hand up to his mouth and subtlety placed a kiss on her palm. Gaius and Merlin paid them no mind and continued their conversation from before she barreled through the door, except Eleanor heard them especially when Merlin mentioned the prince being killed. She  wasn’t sure why they  weren’t waiting for her to leave…they all seemed like she was harmless…she did only bake bread for a living…in this dream, she reminded herself again. She decided to get in on the conversation. She may as well help the dream progress. 

“You think these people are capable of killing the crown prince?”

Gwaine drew her back towards his friends and sat her down at the table. Merlin passed her a mug of tea when she  wasn’t looking. It tasted like mint . 

“Anyone can be capable of anything Ellie.”

Eleanor’s eyes met his when he called her Ellie. Only her Grandmother had ever called her that.

Still,  Gwaine seemed  pretty trustworthy . This thought though brought her back to her conversation with old man Merlin. He too had called her  Ellie? Was that a coincidence or…had she  actually been talking to the all-powerful sorcerer. She shot a glance at the boy who was paying her no mind. 

_ ‘Yesterday when we met, he didn’t seem to know me because Junia introduced us…did the laundry mishap with Gaius _ _ actually happen before the dream began? Had old Merlin sent me here with magic? Was that even possible? Magic  _ _ wasn’t _ _ rea— but he said magic made up everything? What is that supposed to mean?’ _

Ellie gulped down another drink of mint tea, she  wasn’t sure what to think anymore, but she was determined to find out. 

Merlin said something about getting the blade to prove that Sir Oswald was indeed using sorcery to hurt Arthur. Merlin protested when  Gwaine said he would get the sword and convinced them that  he’d be quick and be back before they knew it . 

Merlin looked over at Ellie and smiled. He offered to walk her back to her  rooms, but she declined to say that  she’d wait for him to get back with the sword. This would give her time to talk to Gaius. She could see a look of apprehension on his  face, but she shot back what she hoped was a look of ‘you involved me in  this, so I’m involved now and I’m not going anywhere’ look before pushing him to the door in a show of good faith. She needed him to trust her, that he was safe to be himself around her.

Soon Merlin was gone and Gwaine was in his room doing whatever it is that Gwaine does when  he’s not out in the workshop. Eleanor put those thighs aside and looked over at Gaius who was mixing something in a small bowl. She started to speak but he grabbed her hand.

“If you cut your finger,  come and see me. You are a cook Eleanor…we have to make sure your hands are clean.”

She nodded and then watched him work for a minute and then told him everything. How she had woken up here and thought it was a dream. Ellie told him some of her old life. That she was positively sure she was from the future and somehow had wound up here. She left the tv bit out…it  wouldn’t be  a promising idea to scare the living daylights out of a fictional character.

Gaius honestly listened to all she had to say and even though he had never heard of time travel being able to be  accomplished , he still said  he’d investigate it. Eleanor thanked him and then  Gwaine walked out of Merlin’s room asking about the young warlock. 

“He should have been back by now? Maybe I’ll go check on  him. ”

The future knight of Camelot left to look for Merlin and then Gaius asked the most important question of the night.

“Would you like some stew?”

**…**

Soon Merlin returned without the blade and without Gwaine. The warlock explained what happened and they both made a hasty exit to the throne room. Eleanor thought about leaving for the night but wanted to make sure Gwaine was okay before she retired so she waited for a good hour before Merlin and Gwaine came back to the workshop.

“Thank goodness you’re alright.” She said as soon as he saw her.

Merlin gave her a serious look and Gwaine went about packing. Merlin apologized for everything but Gwaine shook him off. Eleanor feared she knew exactly why...Gwaine had been banished from Camelot.

“Make sure you look after Arthur, he’s in danger.”

Merlin gave him a look before saying, “I thought you hated nobles?”

Gwaine took Eleanor’s hand and spared one last smile at the wizard, “Well, maybe that one’s worth dying for, eh?”

He kissed Eleanor’s hand once more as he had done earlier in the evening. He seemed sad and Ellie was quite sad for him. Gwaine  didn’t deserve this…especially because from what everyone knows from watching Merlin was that Gwaine  actually was of noble birth…and he was just trying to do the right thing.

“Until we meet again.”

And with that, Gwaine was gone. 

Merlin and Eleanor shared a look. They both knew their new friend had been forced out of Camelot for a very stupid reason but there was certainly nothing they both could do. Soon Gaius returned to the workshop and  immediately Merlin tried to  produce a game plan.

“I don’t know what to do?”

It was getting quite  late, and Eleanor was sure Merlin was going to talk about using magic and she  wasn’t sure if he trusted her quite  yet, so she decided it was time to leave. She bid her goodbyes and made her way back to her chambers. She knew what was going to  happen, so she had faith that Merlin and  Gwaine both knew what they were doing. 

The next day, her third day in Camelot Ellie was given off on account of the Mêlée and her bandaged finger. Audrey  didn’t seem to care as she drank some mead and ordered more bread to be rolled out. She  advised the young cook to be more careful so she  wouldn’t have to send her out on account of her injuries. Audrey might be a force to be reckoned  with, but  deep-down Eleanor knew she  couldn’t lose any of her staff  at the moment . 

Of course, she  steered clear of all the nobles and went to see if Gaius needed any help. Since Merlin was off being bullied by the visiting knights, the poor court physician had no one to help him. She delivered some tinctures and asked about medicine. Gaius was more than happy to share what he knew. As they were sitting there, lunch rolled  around, and they had some soup. As she poured them both a bowl, Eleanor’s necklace slipped out from her dress. Gaius just happened to see the necklace and  immediately asked her about it. 

“Oh, this old thing. A friend gave it to me.”

“Who is this friend of yours?”

Eleanor completely blanks and says the first thing that comes to mind, “His name is Emrys.”

Gaius  doesn’t react to the name…and Ellie’s beating heart slowed back down. The physician  didn’t press her after  that, but she has a feeling he  didn’t believe her. They ate their lunch and then Gaius mentions the  mêlée, and both are off to meet Merlin. 

They get there right before the event begins but Merlin is nowhere in sight. Junia came to stand by Ellie, they talk for a few moments. She had said  she’d seen Merlin heading for the armory. Eleanor thought this as odd and decided to  see what he was doing. She  wasn’t sure where the armory  was, but she found it anyway and slung the door open. She saw Merlin on the ground and a man was over him…with a sword. Ellie narrowed her eyes at the man. He was noble and he was about to hurt her friend. 

“There you are, boy!  I have been looking for you. Get up, your master is waiting.”

“Excuse me my lady, but I must teach this  insolent lug a lesson.”

“ Oh, I am sure you could good sir knight, but this boy belongs to the royal household of Mercia…he’s in big trouble already and his master is livid. I was tasked to bring him back.” She smiled and flashed her eyes at the man. She had never done so in real  life, but it  enticed the knight who took a step towards her.

“ Surely, I can help you, my lady?”

“I’m sorry…but you seem to hail from the Southern Isles…I’m not sure our master would take too kindly if he saw you, my lord.” She said and continued to smile.

The man seemed to think for a moment. The only reason she knew about the guy being from Southern Isles was due to the fact she was constantly on the Merlin Wiki page reading about all the context of the show that is never mentioned on-screen. The noble relented but he did cuff Merlin over the head before he stormed out. She  immediately looked at Merlin who was upon his feet.

“Do I even want to know?”

“Nope!  Let us go.” He said and took her hand in his, pulling her along back outside towards the Mêlée. By the time they both made it back, the fighting had begun. Ellie sees one guy go down and remembers that  it’s Gwaine and that is injured…like really injured. Her heart stopped and she gasped. Merlin had left her to stand near Giaus but Junia was back by her and took her hand…the hand Merlin had just let go of moments ago. 

_ ‘That was a real sword and real blood and  _ _ real dead _ _ bodies…oh my god, I’m in Camelot! This is all actually real…well as real as the show Merlin _ _ gets.  _ _ I am _ _ not dreaming…I  _ _ cannot _ _ be dreaming. How is this even possible and why did it take this long for me to realize it?’ _

Suddenly, the symbol around her neck sent warmth through as to reassure her…that she was  in Camelot…stuck in the world of  _ Merlin  _ and that it was all very real. __

She wants to tell Gaius about Gwaine and her necklace but then Ebor is headed right towards Arthur. Merlin and Gaius have a hushed word and Eleanor slightly pulls Junia away. The girl looks at her and Ellie shrugs and says that they should stay back a bit just in case any knights come flying over towards them. With this distraction, Merlin can use his magic to pull Sir Oswald from his saddle.

Out of nowhere  Gwaine reappears still in disguise and he and Arthur take out the  good-for-nothing bad guys…just like in the show. Junia and Ellie cheer them both on after the fighting ceases. Ellie can see Arthur talking to him and then  Gwaine finally take his helmet off . 

**…**

Despite all  Gwaine did, the king  didn’t release his sentence of banishment just like Eleanor knew he  wouldn’t . It was sad but  it’s what had to happen. She also knew that one day he would be  back, and she  couldn’t wait.

“Until next time?”

“ Of course, my lady.”

Gwaine went to kiss her hand as he always had done but Eleanor brought him into a hug…she  wouldn’t see him until a long time when of course Camelot and Arthur needed him once more. It was devastating to see him leave the place he truly  belonged, but Ellie knew he would come back. 

After  Gwaine had left to  talk to Gwen, who Eleanor still  hadn’t met, she snuck very quickly out of the kitchens as Audrey was having a nap and made her way over to the  battlements . Arthur and Merlin stood watching  Gwaine leave and then suddenly turned around to come back towards the castle. Ellie watched from a window high above as Arthur chase Merlin about. She laughed and made her way back to the kitchens. 

_ ‘Maybe being here won’t be such  _ _ a dreadful thing _ _ …I guess it’s time to figure out why I am though?’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to post the first chapter as well because prologues for me usually aren't enough...anyway, as I said before...not a writer well sort of, so there are for sure grammatical errors and mistakes but that's okay...anyway enjoy!
> 
> While writing I listened to various soundtracks such as BBC merlin's, the King Arthur soundtrack (you know the one with keira knightley... hold the ice is great) and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword which is such a beautiful movie and score like I can't talk about it enough.) So if you wanna give that music a listen while reading...you can or listen to wahtever you like...anyway enjoy


	3. A Fate Dismantled

Eleanor had been in Camelot all of three months and so much had already happened. She had kept her job as a cook in the royal kitchens and lived with Audrey....the head cook. The lady was brash and liked to drink but she left Eleanor  alone, so it was  a win-win situation . She learned about the inner workings of the court and all the gossip that she  didn't really care for...however, it proved quite useful on many occasions. 

Eleanor had easily met and befriended Gwen and spent as much time with her as she could. Gwen was kind and always made sure to check in with Ellie after endless days of working. The two girls were slowly becoming good friends. Merlin and she, however, were practically attached at the hip. After  Gwaine left Camelot, the following afternoon Eleanor and Merlin decided to take a stroll…it was Gaius’ idea. Merlin  was quite  fidgety and  apparently, Eleanor was the only one who could babysit him and make sure he  didn’t happen upon a mystical creature as he normally did. The old man also mentioned something about collecting tree sap…

Quite plainly she had asked him about the mêlée and what had  happened . Merlin played dumb but after some  teasing, he relented. 

“Merlin, whatever it is, you can tell me.”

“I have magic.” He whispered. 

Eleanor’s eyes had widened. She  hadn’t expected him to tell her…like ever. Until he did. She wondered why? Ellie watched his face drop at her  reaction, so she placed her hand in his open one and gave it a squeeze. 

“Oh  my, a nd you saved Arthur?”

He nodded shyly and kept on walking the path they chose far away from the castle. 

“Merlin…that’s amazing! Does this happen all the time? Are you always saving people?” She asked. 

He  sort of stopped and stared at her when she said this. It was Merlin’s turn for his eyes to bug out. He looked extremely shocked at her questions.

“You believe in magic?”

“ Of course, I do Merlin!”

He seemed to  sag into himself before plopping down on a tree stump. There  weren’t any other tree stumps to sit on so Eleanor followed him down and lightly pushed him over to make room. His eyes  didn’t meet her as he uttered, “Do you think it’s evil then?”

“Merlin, why would you say that? What you did was amazing…you saved Arthur… magic  is not evil. It  is not good either…it just is. ”  She said...how could he believe she thought magic was evil ?  She had just said it was amazing. "I used to think that it was all nonsense but not anymore. I suppose  I  haven ’t had those thoughts for some time. A good friend told me once that magic is everything and nothing, it makes up the clouds and the sky as well as the skin on your toes. The sun that shines and the rain that gets everywhere when you walk out your door .  It is what the universe is made of. I have no reason to fear it or think that it is only evil when I know magic to be beautiful. Magic is in you my friend, and it’s wonderful.”

Ellie finally looked up from the ground and saw that Merlin was crying. She  didn’t think her words would have touched him so…but they did. She knew that Merlin carried a heavy burden of never being able to tell anyone who he really was. It must be heartbreaking. He hugged her then and wept into her shoulder for a while until the sun finally sunk behind the trees. They had both seemed to have crossed a line…they were closer now and Eleanor what glad he had confided in her.

As they trudged back home, the girl promised that she would keep his secret and that he  wasn’t alone as he thought he was anymore. Merlin  seemed to take her words to heart because after that night, he was constantly involving her in his  shenanigans .

Gaius  also was more relaxed around her…which the cook assumed was because he and Merlin must have had a chat about her. They both shared knowing smiles when Merlin saved the day or used his magic to help Arthur or just cracked up over something Gaius had said. They were the best of friends. 

Eleanor became a favorite of the knights and got to know them as well. She made it her mission to memorize all their favorite foods so she could surprise them once a month with a picnic of sorts. Leon made it known that he loved her cooking and was trying to get her to travel with them when they had to leave Camelot. He said he  couldn’t live without her stew.

Eleanor was easily flattered so she made sure to make sure the knight always had his own special package of  uncooked stew for Merlin to take with them when traveling as she was not  permitted to leave the castle, Audrey would have her head.

Merlin thought it was ridiculous but complied because  he’s actually a softie. The girl knew eventually the other beloved knights of Arthur’s court would be here soon and she was anxious and excited to meet them all and hear of all the adventures they would go on.

When she  wasn't baking, she explored the castle and the grounds. Most people  didn't look twice at a cook and Eleanor got along great with  basically everyone . Also, she  wasn’t sure she was ever going to explore the actual Pierrefonds, so she took this as an alternative even though it was the castle.

She tried not to think of how the interdimensional time-travel had messed up her life and she was stuck in a tv show, it was easier to just pretend this was where she was meant to be. Eleanor truly hoped that whatever destiny she had been graced with would be filled with whatever purpose to help Arthur be the king she knew he was.

Her walks around the castle helped to ease the aches in her back that she got while making bread all day. Junia encouraged her to become head baker which seemed like a long  shot, but the pay was  higher, and  she’d be in charge of all the bread. Eleanor had grown fascinated by Medieval cooking and baking and tried to see it as a hobby that she very much enjoyed instead of hard labor.

She learned all she could from Gaius who had taken to teaching her about medicines of the time and other healing practices as there had been many a night she had  cut her finger, burned her hand, or bruised her leg. She spent a lot of time in the workshop being treated and treating.

At least once a week, she had dinner with Gaius and Merlin. They talked about their days and of Camelot and of Arthur. The skilled physician  hadn’t mentioned her necklace which she was glad, but she was also suspicious. If Gaius had been intrigued by the trinket around her  neck, then what did that mean? With nothing to go on, she forgot about the altercation but made a mental note to figure it out sometime when she could get away and investigate. 

Meeting the crown prince had been an accident. She had been in the kitchen most of the day for an upcoming celebration and for some reason a servant had mixed up some washings. They were the princes'. Someone had told the poor girl to  find Merlin, but Ellie knew that the young sorcerer's life was super busy all the time. She figured he  wasn’t here to get Arthur’s washings because he was polishing armor or doing some tedious  tasks for Arthur. She offered to take the prince's clothes at which the young servant thanked her kindly.

The cook had never been to Arthur's  chambers, but she happened to find Leon and asked for directions. He, of course, was happy to help and sent Ellie on her way. The girl made sure to use the servants' entrance even though she knew no one would be in the room…she did have a brief thought of hoping Merlin would be there so she could ask him about her  necklace, but she pushed it aside and slung open the door. 

She was surprised to find Arthur there. She quickly looked down as was proper and cleared her throat to alert the prince. He didn’t stir from his chair or even send her a glance…so she spoke up, "Sorry my lord...there was a laundry mix-up. Here are your clothes for the banquet.”

The prince who had been looking out the window  hadn't even heard her come in. He quickly looked over at her.

“Ah yes…you can leave them there....is that flour on your face?”

Eleanor's hand  immediately shot up to her cheek. She nodded and shyly looked away.

"Sorry sire. I work in the kitchens...today is pie day.”

Eleanor mentally kicked herself. She was sure Arthur  didn't care about her and flour and pies. The future king stood before her. Eleanor felt for him and what devastation was soon to come for both he and his father. 

"For the celebration?”

Shaken out of her thoughts, she nodded again.

"So why are you delivering laundry?” He  asked.

Eleanor quickly explained herself...and that she was a friend of Merlin’s.

"I thought I'd just help him out. Sometimes in the evenings, he helps me bake cookies when we're in a rush…"

She  didn't know why she was telling the prince  everything, but he  didn't seem to mind. In fact, it seemed like he was enjoying their conversation. Which was odd, it  wasn’t a side of the prince she ever got to see...not that she ever got to see the prince like ever. 

Early on Eleanor had learned  quickly that though these people looked like stars in a tv show; they were in fact not stars in a tv show and if you treated them as such, they just thought you were weird...or a bit crazy.

"You bake well into the night then?”

She nodded once more and finally placed down his clothes. The conversation had  sort of run dry. Still, Eleanor was  ecstatic she had held down her first conversation with him.

_ ‘I mean  _ _ it's _ _ a  _ _ freakin _ _ Bradley James copy…who wouldn’t want to try and have a conversation with him _ _ ….  _ _ also, _ _ he was Arthur…the once and future king.’  _ She let herself fangirl for a moment.

She tried to keep her freak out on the inside before speaking once more.

"Well, my lord. I must return to the kitchens…"

He seemed to snap out of whatever daze he had been in. .. Eleanor thought she saw him smile but she pushed those thoughts away.

"Of course...if you see Merlin, tell him I need him."

She nodded and bowed, “Of course sire.”

It looked like he wanted to say something  else, but Eleanor had already scuttled back towards the servants' entrance and was gone.

She had decided to  avoid Morgana. She barely knew the young  sorceress , but she knew her merlin tv knowledge, Morgana would betray Camelot sometime in the coming year. Eleanor had previously thought that  maybe she could stop what was soon to  happen, but she shook her head.

_ ‘What would saving Morgana change? How would I even go about it?’ _

...

Later that day, Eleanor was having lunch as Gaius was going over some papers when Merlin burst through the door. Before Ellie could greet  him, he started going insane about something  he’d seen.

“It's happening. The future I saw, it's started.”

Gaius  didn’t look phased but entertained Merlin and his  freak-out . 

"Calm down, Merlin.”

“I just saw Morgana struggling with a horse exactly as she was in the crystals.”

“Are you certain?”

“It was the same image,” Merlin stressed.

“But she's always riding. It's not unusual to see her with a horse.”

Eleanor picked at her sandwich as she watched the two men talk. It seemed like there was no cause for  concern, but it also seemed like the young warlock was having  a tough time accepting Gaius’ words.

“It's not the only thing,” Merlin sent her a glance as to say ‘help me out here’ before continuing. “Arthur’s present for Morgana, he's told me it's a dagger.”

_ ‘Oh  _ _ shoot _ _.’ _

Eleanor’s eyes widened…she knew exactly what he was going on about. Morgana was  gonna kill Uther…just like the episode. Eleanor thought that  maybe this wouldn’t happen…that she would have more time to  come up with a plan to save everyone…but it seemed time  wasn’t on anyone's side. Of course,  she’d been here for three months but most of her time consisted of baking and cleaning and then when she  wasn’t doing that, she was trying to make friends with everyone…Merlin and Gaius had accepted her quite quickly as she proved to be  helpful, and she may or may not have been telling them  cool things about the future…nothing to crazy of course. 

“It's hardly a rare sight. Certainly not one to be trusted as a harbinger of doom.”

The physician said that Merlin was just overacting but later when the two friends were alone, Eleanor told him it might be worth looking into just in case. 

Merlin had filled her in on what had happened a few months ago with Morgana…information that Ellie already knew of course. She knew she  should not tamper with time and Merlin’s  destiny, but she thought that  just this once, she could help prevent tragedy. 

“I know it was bad, but I didn’t know how else to stop her Ellie.”

“It’s alright Merlin…I’m not saying what you did was the right thing but it’s the only thing to do to save the kingdom and if you are to fulfill your destiny sometimes the kingdom and Arthur come first…as backward as that sounds.”

“I know…and that’s not all. How am I supposed to help Arthur bring magic back when  he’s sworn it off as  evil. Sometimes, I think I’m running in a relentless circle.”

“You’ll get there, in the end, my friend, trust the fates.”

Merlin had told her of the prophecy…the parts he  knew, and Ellie had  immediately tried to help him piece it out. They spent many nights throwing ideas up in the air…hypothetical situations and whatnot. She desperately wanted to come out and tell him everything but Arthur’s death…no murder was years away. She had some time to flesh out a full plan…these were only early  days, so she  wasn’t worried. 

** … **

“Ellie.”

She heard her name harshly whispered from being her somewhere. The girl cook was helping to clean up as Morgana’s birthday feast started to  dwindle . Eleanor looked over her shoulder and saw Merlin urging her over with his hand. 

“I’ll be right back Junia.”

Her friend just nodded and continued wiping a table. Ellie quickly scuttled over to Merlin and grabbed his arm pulling him out of the kitchens and down a corridor. 

“What’s wrong?”

Merlin stared down but sides of the hall before looking back at Eleanor, his breath was warm as it faded her face. “It's the dagger. The one from my vision…Arthur just gifted it to Morgana.”

“Alright…so everything you’ve seen so far is coming true…the horse and now the dagger…what's next?”

“Morgana walking down a hall…wearing a red cloak. Do you think that’s happening tonight?”

Eleanor shrugged at the wizard’s question.

“We can’t be her shadow Merlin…if she finds out what we’re doing then…”

“I know Ellie, I just feel so useless.” Merlin leaned up against the wall and closed his eyes. He looked exhausted. 

“You said the vision ends with Morgana about to kill Uther…so  let's make sure she doesn’t. Look, Merlin, I have to go back to  work, but I’ll come down to the workshop when I’m finished.”

The boy nodded and they parted ways. Eleanor knew that merlin was headed to talk to Gaius about all this, and she knew he was going to suggest that they just keep an eye on her all day but even that seemed impossible. 

Ellie walked back into the kitchen just as Audrey was. Even the head cook was keeping a tight ship lately. Ellie had heard of a few servants getting fired in the last few days and was confused as to why? The whole kitchen staff was a very tight-knit group and even they had lost some hands. It  didn’t sit right with the girl but again there was nothing she could do…but it was still suspicious. 

“Girl, go collect the dishes from the feast.”

** … **

When Ellie finally could leave for the  night, it was  late, but she knew Merlin would still be up. Most nights they talked and looked over his magic book…sometimes he showed her some spells he was learning. As  she’s walking down a hall which was void of any guards for some reason, a hand shoots out and grabs hers. Eleanor almost screamed but then saw it was just Merlin.

“What was that for? Why are you hiding behind this curtain?”

“Sorry…I’m waiting on Morgana to leave her chambers…I know we’d said we’d wait but I had a bad feeling.”

“That’s  all right Merlin. I had a bad feeling too and I’d knew you’d be here anyways…so are we just  gonna stand here until she makes an appearance?”

“What…no. I’m going to stay and  wait; you should go to bed.”

“Merlin,  if your visions are actual possibly events then she could hurt you,” The girl cleared her throat and put her hands on her hips, “I’m staying right here.”

She left no room for an  argument, so Merlin said nothing as they both stood in silence for a while. Ellie was finally starting to doze when a door clanked open. Her eyes shot to Merlin as he peaked out behind the curtain. The warlock grabbed her hand and they waited for Morgana to pass by before following her.

They sneaked after the King’s ward as she made her way through the castle. Knowing what Merlin was about to do, Ellie squeezed his hand that was still in hers.

“Be careful Merlin.”

He used his magic to close the door Morgana was about to walk through. She yelled startled but instead of falling backward onto the floor, she tumbled sideways to avoid the torch and fell down the stairs to the left of her. 

“I’m getting Arthur!” Ellie said and took off back through the castle to the Prince’s chambers. 

Once Arthur was decent enough, they ran back towards  Merlin, but Ellie ran in the opposite direction to get Gwen. The girl was dozing on the  cot near Morgana’s room. She went about waking her and telling her what had happened. Immediately she and Gwen ran down to the Workshop and caught back up with Merlin and Arthur who was carrying Morgana. 

Gaius was going on about yarrow as he, Merlin, and Gwen got to work. Arthur still seemed in shock. Gaius was telling him to leave but he just stood there watching Morgana who was now lying on a table. Eleanor grabbed his arm and steered him towards the door. Once they left the workshop, the prince asked what had happened?

“I haven’t the faintest clue sire. Merlin was walking me back to my chambers when we heard a yell. Once we both saw it was Lady Morgana, I ran to get you. Do you think she’ll be  alright ?”

Arthur patted her arm as they stood outside the door for a moment, “I’m sure Gaius is doing all he can…I should wake my father.”

Ellie nodded and watched him leave. She knew Merlin would eventually go and speak with the great dragon who will give him the magic to save Morgana, but that  wasn’t what worried her. What worried her was the impending doom this whole mess would cause. 

** … **

The next few days were very hushed throughout Camelot. Everyone  seemed to be very saddened by the news of Morgana and what had happened. Eleanor had even  seen Audrey crying while they baked the daily bread for the castle. The weather seemed to correspond with the demeanor of the castle. 

After a half-day of work, Eleanor was running an errand for the head cook when she saw Arthur slashing at a practice dummy. Merlin was just watching him as it rained. Eleanor  immediately ran over dodging Arthur’s sword. She touched his arm and he swung around to see her there. He looked completely broken. Ellie placed his palm on his weapon and pushed it down out of her line of sight.

“Arthur, you’ll catch your death. Morgana wouldn’t want that…Merlin will take you back inside and I’ll  be up with some warm tea.”

The prince went to protest but the girl waved Merlin over. “Make sure the Prince goes back to his chambers. I’ll bring tea.”

Merlin nodded and as Ellie watched them go, she finally shed a tear. Not for Morgana but for what anguish Merlin’s actions had caused. 

When Ellie finally made it up to Arthur’s chambers, the two weirdos were just sitting there. She placed all their mugs of tea on the table and waited to be seated. Arthur just nodded and she sat near him. 

“If I may be blunt …. Arthur , I know your sad but moping like this won’t save Morgana.”

“Then what will?”

“I’m not sure sire.”

“You’re not sure! What can you be sure of then! What’s the point of sitting around drinking tea when Morgana is dying!” The prince yelled.

The prince’s harsh voice cut through the  girl, but she took all he  dished out. Merlin went to speak  up, but Ellie shook her head. It was best that they tried not to make a promise that  wouldn’t see the light of day …even though she knew Morgana was going to be  just fine tomorrow morning. 

“We have to have hope sire, even though all seems faint, we have to hope Morgana will wake up.”

Arthur looked at her and then he drank his tea. There  wasn’t much else to say.

Merlin had cornered her later that night while she was baking cookies in the kitchen. He helped her roll  dough, and he even used a little magic to cut out different shapes for the cookies. They were having a pleasant time and then he started in with the questions.

“How did you know I’d be behind that curtain by Morgana’s chambers?”

The girl wiped flour from her apron and looked at Merlin who seemed to think that the cookie batter was much more interesting than making eye contact. Ellie just shrugged and shaped out another cookie. “I just had a feeling is all… you're always getting into trouble.”

“But you said that you’d knew I’d be there? I just don’t understand how you knew?”

“Merlin… you're not as sneaky as you think…and besides, that’s the only tapestry in the hall… Where else was I going to look?” She said and passed him to get another tray.

As soon as she cleared a table, a bowl of flour flew off into the air and went everywhere. It was all over the floor and Ellie’s hair, some had even managed to get on Merlin’s arms where he had rolled up his sleeves. He was laughing at her.

“Why didn’t you stop it?” He asked.

“What was I supposed to do? Jump for the bowl like a seal?”

“You could have used magic?” He said and passed her a rag to get as much flour  off her as possible. Merlin was still chuckling. 

“Merlin…what in your right mind would possess you to think that I have magic?”

“Well for starters, it would explain how you know things. You know Camelot like the back of your hand. You knew who Gaius was on your first day, you’re not afraid to talk back to Arthur…”

“I’m a fast learner.” She lied sort of. She had been there for three months  now, so Ellie was  certain that she knew her way around the castle.

“Yeah, I’ve already used that excuse.”

“If I had magic, then wouldn’t you be able to sense it?” She said trying to change the topic…she  couldn’t tell him about his world being some tv show…she  wasn’t even sure  he’d understand what she was saying. 

Merlin for some reason, decided to tease her, “For someone who doesn’t have magic, you sure seem to know a lot about it?”

“Merlin stop teasing me and help me clean this up, it’s your fault by the way!” Eleanor tried to be serious but only ended up smiling.

Merlin’s exuberant expression etched itself on his face for the rest of the night as they cleaned and continued to bake cookies. He felt at ease with the girl and found himself trusting her completely. He knew there was no evil bone in her body, he knew the moment she stood up him in front of a visiting noble. He had finally found someone with whom he could truly be himself with and he was going to take every opportunity they had to make sure they had something to look back on.

** … **

Once the news that the Lady Morgana had miraculously woken up and was completely healed, the castle rejoiced. Everyone was buzzing about Gaius who was given the credit of saving the girl.

Even though the kingdom was happy once more, the gossip of Morgana soon  dissipated, and news of the prince and Eleanor swept over the castle like a fire. There apparently had been a  maid who saw Ellie with Arthur that day in the rain when he was hacking away at a battle dummy.

Immediately, Junia had asked what had really happened and helped to soften the blows made by the other servants who said that she was involved with the prince. 

“It’s just insane Junia…the prince and me? Gosh.”

“It’s alright Ellie, someone will get caught in a cupboard in a few days and everyone will forget all about this…and it’s not like the rumors are true.”

Ellie just nodded and grabbed a bucket to fetch water, it was going to be a long day.

** … **

Merlin had told her that Morgana was Uther’s daughter the night before when we showed up in the middle of the night. He told her about the dragon and saving Morgana. He had broken down in front of her when he told her that he had almost killed Morgana. Ellie had held him as he cried.

“It’s  alright Merlin.  She’s fine now. You saved her.”

Eleanor then  proceeded to tell Merlin the whole history of the lightbulb just to make him feel better.

** … **

Life was back to normal a few days later. Eleanor and Junia were cutting vegetables and talking about this boy she was seeing when the prince showed up in the kitchens. She knew he had shown up because everyone was bowing at them for some reason until she turned around. She started to bow to him as  well, but he stopped her.

“May I speak with you?”

She nodded and followed him out. Eleanor’s hands started to sweat. She wondered if this was about had she had been acting with him recently…she had touched him and practically forced him to drink tea…

_ ‘Oh, Lord…am I being fired?’ _

The pair stood in relative silence until Arthur cleared his throat. “I just wanted to say thank you. You were right about everything. I was worried about Morgana that I forgot to look out for myself and you were right about having hope. I’m sorry for acting the way I did…you didn’t deserve that.”

“It’s  alright sire. You were worried as we all were. The last few days have been difficult.”

“That doesn’t make up for what I did…I am sorry.”

Ellie smiled at the prince and met his eyes which he totally  wasn’t expecting. It gave her courage for the words that left her mouth.

“Stop saying you’re sorry. There is nothing to forgive. Well, I guess you could apologize to that practice dummy.”

Arthur’s face broke out into a grin, the first she had seen in days, and then a small laugh tumbled from his mouth. Eleanor was glad that he seemed back to his old self. 

“Well, if you’ll excuse me, sire…the vegetables call.”

He nodded and went about his day. Ellie smiled for the rest of the afternoon. It finally seemed like Arthur was warming up to her. It had been a shocking  week, but Eleanor was glad things were finally looking up.

** … **

Even with Morgana back in the land of the living, the weather was still anything but joyous. Thunder rumbled and lightning  struck, and it rained constantly which made getting out and away from the castle a challenge for Eleanor. She usually spent time with Merlin or Gaius but they both seemed to be in a gloomy  mood, so Eleanor thought  she’d visit the library in her  downtime . 

The royal library of Camelot was quite large and was usually empty…which made it seem  creepy, but the weather was  awful, and it was quite  cold, so a cozy library was the best place to be right now.

Geoffrey of Monmouth was a quiet man and at first, Eleanor thought he  didn’t like her being in the library but as soon as she asked for help looking for books on ancient  symbols, he was more than happy to oblige. 

“Is there a specific symbol you are looking for?”

Eleanor drew her necklace from behind her kirtle and showed the genealogist. He peered at the necklace and then his eyebrows  furrowed .

“I’m not sure…it could be a variation of the Celtic cross or possibly the five-fold symbol. I have a few books, follow me.”

She eagerly followed the keeper as he walked through the shelves grabbing a book here and there. Next, he led her to a table where they could easily see what was on the pages. After a few minutes of flipping through a large tome, Geoffrey stopped. “ Ah!” he exclaimed,  “ here it is! This is the Celtic cross, your  pendant doesn’t have a cross-section in the middle so,” he flipped another few  pages over, “it is the fivefold symbol.”

Eleanor looked down at the page which surprisingly was in English.  Maybe whatever brought her here was like the TARDIS and it translated all languages to be readable. 

“The fivefold symbol represents the balance of human nature. It is to be known that the symbol is connected to the five basic elements of the universe. Fire, Water, Sun, Earth, and Air; the sun element being in the middle. Some records account for the middle fold representing the universe itself which is surrounded by the four previous elements.”

Geoffrey shot her a glance after she started reading, “You can read this ancient Celtic language?”

Eleanor just shrugged and smiled sheepishly at the librarian. How was she supposed to know what she was reading when it looked like regular English to  her.

“Where do you hail from?”

“Oh, me…I’m from up north near the coast…although my parents moved around a lot when I was growing up.”

Geoffrey’s eyes narrowed as she fibbed…she  couldn’t technically tell him the truth. She  didn’t want him to go into cardiac arrest. Geoffrey  bought it and then snapped the book shut.

_ ‘Should he really be doing that do such an old book?’ _

“Well, thank you, sir. This has been enlightening.”

“Before you go, I have heard that the middle fold also represents magic…but obviously, you understand why we can’t have that in our accounts…where did you come across the necklace, if I may ask?”

Eleanor froze on her way to the door when he mentioned the necklace…she  didn’t know what to say. She had already blabbed to Gaius…what if Geoffrey went straight to him? Ellie hastily dropped the  pendant back down her kirtle and looked back at the librarian . 

“Certainly, a friend gave it to me…as a birthday present.”

Geoffrey only nodded and wished her well which was odd. Eleanor felt uneasy as she left the library…the exact opposite of which she wanted to feel. Her feet propelled her through the door as her thoughts wired about the necklace…she was one step closer to understand it at least. Ellie bumped right into…Gwen. The  maid smiled at her.

“Went in for some light reading then?”

“Yeah, where are you off too? Another secret outing with a certain prince?” Eleanor teased her friend.

Gwen blushed, “Shhh…no…he did send me flowers though.”

The girls giggled as they walked down the hall together. It was good to have a normal human moment after these past few days. As they neared Morgana’s chambers Ellie went to say her  goodbyes, but Gwen asked if she had a few moments. "Lady Morgana wishes to meet you.”

“What? Why?”

“To say thank you…I told her that you went to fetch us after she fell.”

She  couldn’t really say no now that Gwen had backed her into this corner. The cook smiled and then nodded a yes as they both went through the servants' entrance.

Morgana was sitting in a chair by the window when Gwen and Eleanor showed up.

“You were with Merlin…do tell?”

“We are just friends…my lady.”

“Then what were you two doing out so late at  night?” The witch questioned.

_ ‘I could ask you the same question, but then again I already knew the answer.’ _

“I suffer from restlessness my lady. Gaius usually gives me  tonics, but they make me feel sleepy throughout the day which  impacts my work in the kitchens, so Merlin started offering to stay up with me…to keep me company. We usually read but that night we took a stroll and I’m glad we did my lady.”

“You are the reason I am alive then. Thank you so much, Eleanor.”

The girl nodded once more and smiled. Gwen seemed pleased they were getting along…not that they  wouldn’t .

_ ‘It’s like we're a merry band of teenagers at a  _ _ slumber _ _ party. The future queen of Camelot, a time traveler, and a witch who is hellbent on taking out the pendragon line. Yay happy memories forever!' _

Eleanor remained and exchanged small talk for a few moments and then made it known that she would be needed in the kitchens to make the castle supper. Morgana was all smiles and sent her on her way which only confused the young cook. Junia greeted her once she made it back to the ground floor of the castle and they got to work. 

_‘Morgana will be meeting with Morgause tonight, she will tell her sister of her_ _parentage_ _and then Morgana will take it upon herself to kill Uther or well try. She_ _doesn’t_ _actually succeed_ _. Wait? Doesn’t she knock out Merlin and accidentally set her rooms on fire? Who finds him?_   


Eleanor sprinkled flour on a table and started to pound out bread and pondered for a moment…she concluded that no one finds Merlin…and then she remembered that he woke up himself.

_ ‘I might as well help him then and then we can stop Morgana.’ _

_ … _

Later that night, as soon as Morgana left down the corridor, Ellie rushed in with a huge jug of water. She doused most of the flames and waited for Merlin to wake up. As he  did, he yelled like in his vision.

“Hurry Merlin, you have to stop her!”

The boy ran off and Ellie called for a guard as she took a blanket from Morgana’s bed and finished putting out the flames. A guard ran in and started asking what happened, it just so happened to be Leon. Ellie silently praised the lord before saying, “There was an intruder…he knocked over a candle. I was just passing by…the fire scared him off and I told the Lady Morgana to run away. She should be with the king now.”

“You’re alright Eleanor, you did the right thing.”

Leon brought her close and then moved her away from the room. She  didn’t realize  it, but she was shaking. Leon was saying something  else, but Ellie  couldn’t hear him. She realized also that this was the first time  she’d ever put out a fire before. It scared her more than she thought it  would, but she was glad she had stopped the castle from burning. 

Leon escorted her to Gaius to make sure she was indeed  alright . The physician gave her a  tonic for her fright and had her sit down at the table. He pushed over his soup and made sure she ate it. Later when Merlin got back, they all discussed what happened.

“You saved the King’s life,” Gaius said as he spooned out a bowl of soup for Merlin. 

“Only just. I thought I could alter the future, but instead, I caused it. I made it happen.”

Merlin was  definitely beating himself  up, but Eleanor thought he had done what he thought was best. Visions were a fickle thing and sometimes  didn’t end up the way you thought.

“What you did was dangerous, even for someone as gifted as you. But  what's done is done. There are more important things for us to worry about. I fear that Morgana knows the truth.”

Merlin looked at Ellie as she pushed soup around with her spoon. She  didn’t seem to like where this conversation was going but the young warlock  didn’t say anything and set his eyes back on Gaius.

“About what?”

“She knows the King is her father. That explains why she acted so suddenly. Arthur must be careful.”

Eleanor knew where this conversation was going because she decided to ask why interrupting Merlin who was about to say the same thing.

“Why?”

Gaius shot them both a look.

“Morgana is of royal blood. If Uther were to die, Arthur is all that stands between her and the throne of Camelot.”

The three looked at one another silently as the thunder rolled on outside. They all  had the same  thought; another storm was brewing on the horizon and not even Eleanor was sure she could stop it.

** … **

Ellie had been working all morning when Junia finally saddled up to her while she was preparing a turkey to cook. She sent the girl a smile and then Junia said something that ruined Ellie’s whole week.

“So, I heard about what you and the prince spoke about and I’m not  judging, and I don’t mean to pry…you just seem super close.”

“Not you too! You are literally my only sane friend here Junia!” She exclaimed while  mixing together bits and bops for stuffing. “It’s not like I’m sneaking around with him…Merlin and I are just helping Arthur when magical enchantments threaten the kingdom.”

The girl chuckled and helped her stuff the turkey, “Just be careful El, the court does not befriend people like us. We are just servants to them and the way you were acting with the prince, touching  him, and telling him what to do …. if the wrong people had seen you Eleanor…if the King had seen… I’m not sure what would have happened? Sometimes servants get too close to members of the royal household one day and then the next they are gone…so consider herself lucky he decided to let it go.”

Their conversation ended there but it stuck with Eleanor. She knew she was just a kitchens girl and that to get involved with the royal family would be quite a  disaster, but she knew Emrys had sent her here for a reason…whatever that mean t . She knew she  couldn’t exactly befriend Arthur but one day he would be  king, and  things could change.

Though it was strange her friend  hadn’t said anything when she had mentioned she and Merlin were practically saving the prince from magic every time his royalness turned around...

But i f Junia believed that Eleanor was involved with the prince then how many other servants around the castle had also thought this? It  hadn’t seemed like a huge deal to take Arthur in from the rain…Merlin had been there too! She had only been looking out for him, he would have caught his death out in the rain  anyway, so she had done him a favor.

Also, Arthur  hadn’t seemed upset…he had thanked her. He had acted in a manner that was becoming of a gentleman and besides, he was in love with Gwen so the rumors that had  been formed of  nothing , were just nothing.

A gloomy mood set over Eleanor for the rest of the day though.


	4. To the Creepy Castle We Go

In the near eerie woods that surrounded Camelot, was the meeting place of sisters. Morgana and Morgause  couldn’t meet in public so they had to meet in secret. Morgana had ridden out to update her sister on their plan in the dead of night so as not to be detected by all of Camelot. "Arthur's taken the bait.”

“ So, he means to rescue her brother?”

“Just as we thought. There is nothing he would not do for her.” Morgana says and it was true. Arthur had indeed pledge himself to Gwen...something that Morgana  couldn't understand. 

“Excellent. And he comes alone, I take it?”

“Uther would never sanction an army for such a task.” Morgana  grinned, “ He rides with just Gwen and Merlin.”

“Perfect. He is as good as ours.”

“And once he is dead?”

“Why then you are Uther's only child, and when the time is right, you may take your place on the throne of Camelot.”

Morgana smiled at her sister but then frowned. Morgause sensed there was something wrong with the young witch and took her hand.

“What is it, sister?”

“I was thinking of having one more person come along…she is a cook but that matters little. She saved my life. I think she could be easily swayed to our cause.” At her words, Morgause tensed. The priestess  couldn’t let their plans go wayward when they were so close to taking Camelot. 

“Sister…” The witch warned.

“I know. It  wasn’t in our plans but there is something about her. The magic inside me calls to her…I think she may be like us.”

After a few moments of silence and Morgana’s pleading eyes, Morgause reluctantly nodded her consent and wished her sister a goodnight. 

**…**

_ ‘Well, this is gonna be awkward…’ _

“Why am I even coming Merlin. I’m just a cook?”

Merlin shrugged at Eleanor as they got her horse ready. Gwen’s brother had been kidnapped by an evil guy named Cendred. As soon as Ellie had heard this, she had grimaced. She had never really liked the guy whilst watching the show…and she also knew that this was a big old trap planned by Morgause to try and kill Arthur. 

“Arthur just said that Morgana was insistent that you come with us.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound good.” She  muttered .

“What?”

“Nothing Merls…I’m actually glad I get to  leave, Audrey wasn’t happy but as soon as Junia told her I was helping the prince on his hunting expedition she let it go…They assumed that I would be coming along to  cook, and no one seemed to question that.”

“Maybe she’s getting soft in her old age? Why would they question anything? It isn’t their place…”

Eleanor rolled her eyes at Merlin’s attempt to make her laugh and then gapped at the words that followed. 

_ ‘Did he just say what  _ _ I think he _ _ just said? He sounds like Arthur!’ _

She was sure Merlin had heard the rumors going around the castle…but that was all they were. Since that day, Arthur had barely said a word to her but that was because they never saw one another. It helped the wildfire of gossip simmer down to a  flicker of candlelight and the cook was glad. 

Gossip was stupid and  cruel, and she supposed the people who spread it had nothing better to do and it seemed like Merlin had  noticed it all and he  wasn’t happy about it. She knew he was going to burst at some point and tell her that it was all just talk but it was still unkind and annoying.

With not anything else to say. he handed her the reigns to her horse, grabbed his and they were off to meet Gwen, Arthur, and Morgana in the courtyard. First Morgana had insisted that she come along and now she had insisted that Ellie come along as well…which was strange.

_ ‘I can’t have made any sort of impact on  _ _ her? _ __ _ We’ve _ _ only just  _ _ met. _ _ Something isn’t right here.’  _

Eleanor mounted Blu and shot her friend a sassy smile despite the awkward air that had clumped between them.

“Let’s roll Merl!”

_ ‘Man, I wish I had sunglasses.’ _

The quintet galloped along right out of Camelot and Uther had no idea what they were all really doing. As they rode on the group slowed down eventually when they entered a wooded area. Eleanor had no idea where they  were, but she was having the time of her life. She and Merlin exchanged conversation until Morgana called for her.

“Eleanor why come up here and ride with me?”

I gave merlin a salute and then caught up with Morgana…Arthur was going on about him being in these woods as a child. 

“My Lady.”

The young witch sent her a genuine smile and then preceded to ask how she was and how her week had been. Eleanor found this strange but answered her questions. It was paramount she  didn’t look suspicious as she still  didn’t know why she was here. They talked of their likes and dislikes. Ellie was going on and on about Italian architecture when Arthur interrupted everyone as per usual. 

“What I mean is,  in the event of an attack we'll watch out for each other. Morgana, I think I can rely on your protection?”

“Of course.”

Arthur and Gwen were very  adorable, and Ellie wished so much for them to finally just call it official, but  as long as Uther was alive, that  wouldn’t be happening. This business with Elyan being captured was wicked and she  wasn’t sure why Morgana would  stoop this low.

_ ‘ _ _ I guess you _ _ have to get this low for them to place a crown on her head.’  _ Eleanor shook away those thoughts. There was no use of thinking of that now. It was time to save Eylan, they could deal with Morgana storming the castle later. This caused the girl to giggle to herself. Morgana gave her a pointed  look, but Ellie just smiled.  She’d play nice but there was no way she was going to tell the witch anything.

“And Gwen, you'll look after Merlin, won't you?”

The smitten girl giggled and looked back at the wizard as they all did. Eleanor turned her head back but caught Morgana's glare back at her friend like she knew she would. 

_ ‘Yikes’ _

Arthur looked back at Ellie and gave her a short smile. “Eleanor, I don’t want you in harm's way either so make sure you stick with me or Morgana. We can’t have our cook getting killed now.”

“ Of course, sire.”

**…**

Once they had made camp Eleanor straight away started working on dinner. Arthur was starting a fire so hopefully the stew would come out great. The cook had never actually made food in the  woods, but it  couldn’t be that hard. She told herself to pretend that she was  camping, and  she’d go from there. Morgana had trailed off some time ago to get firewood when Arthur  told her and Merlin to get lost. 

“Come on Merlin. Sire, if you could put the pot of water on when the fire is ready that would help us get dinner ready more efficiently.”

She tried to be careful with her words, she  didn’t want to order  him, but he just nodded and sent them off. It was better that Merlin and Ellie were together just in case Morgana decided to do something stupid as she was already doing things that  didn’t follow the actual timeline. 

Eleanor knew that Merlin and Morgana were about to have  words, so she shoved a stick at him and sent him to find the girl.

“You’re not coming?” He asked confusedly.

“No, look Gaius told me to find these weird spotted mushrooms that only grow in this area. He was  gonna ask you to do  it, but you slept in this morning and I offered so off you pop. I’ll see you in five minutes.”

He gave her a  pout, but she just pushed his shoulder and told him to suck it up. She waited back a few minutes and then followed him. Before he came upon Morgana, she hid behind a  rather large tree and listened to their conversation. It was anything but pleasant. Morgana still resented Merlin for poisoning her. 

_ ‘I mean, he did try to kill her…. but it was to save the kingdom. Gosh, why was this easier to accept when she was only watching it on  _ _ tv?  _ _ Maybe _ _ that’s _ _ because it  _ _ wasn’t _ __ _ real then _ _ …but now, it was.’ _

Ellie wished there  were something she could do to stop Morgana from what she was going to do…today and every day until  Camlann …but if she messed with the timeline too much, would everything happen as it did? There was always a chance that they might change for the  better, but the girl  wasn’t so sure. She  didn’t want to single handily be the cause of Camelot being destroyed but it was just careless to sit back and do nothing. 

After Morgana left, Ellie quickly backtracked a couple hundred feet before calling for the druid. They walked back to camp in silence.

**…**

“Cenred's chosen his hideout well. Now, the Castle of Fyrien backs onto the sea, we will be vastly outnumbered, and his lookouts will spot us well before  we've reached the gates. So, we can't go that way.”

Eleanor overheard Arthur speak as she looked over the horses. She had eaten  quickly, and she wanted to make sure that Blu was looked after as Arthur was letting her borrow the stead. The horse snorted as she fed him a handful of oats. He seemed so happy to be out in the wild. 

The next morning as they were having breakfast Morgana had tried to warn Ellie of Merlin. She had said that he had snuck away in the middle of the night.

“Don’t you find it strange Eleanor?”

“I guess…but he probably was just \- “

“He’s up to something.  I’m not sure what it is but he needs to stop. We are here to save Gwen’s brother not to be creepy in the woods.”

Eleanor tried to smile at Morgana’s  words, but she found she  couldn’t . This  definitely didn’t happen in the episode so why was it happening? What would Morgana gain from pitting her against Merlin?

_ ‘I mean, I never would in a million years but what was she up to?’ _

__ “I’m not sure what you and Merlin talked about my lady, but it is your business. I’ll leave it to the two of you.”

Before Morgana could say another word, Ellie decided to change the topic and offer to tell a story. No one really said anything but Morgana at least looked like she was paying attention so that was good enough for her.

‘ _ Hope you all like Nemo.’ _

… 

They were on their way when out of nowhere Morgana fell off her horse. Everyone went to help her except Ellie who grabbed Arthur and Gwen’s reigns. Merlin was trying desperately to get Morgana out of the  way, but she  wouldn’t relent . 

“You were lucky. It  could've been serious. Come on, Merlin, don't just stand there.”

The prince looked amongst them and  didn’t see Eleanor. He turned to look at her and  immediately , she ducked her head.

“Sorry sire.  I’m not that good on a horse. I thought it best not to jump off Blu.  I’m used to baking pies, not saving beautiful ladies. Also, I’m not partial to snakes.”

Arthur  didn’t seem to care about her excuse and only nodded.  Perhaps it was because she was a woman that Arthur decided to overlook the  fact, she had not helped…plus snakes were creepy and Eleanor wished to stay as far away as possible. 

She already had a snake to deal with and she was currently getting back on her horse. Morgana shot her a smile and Arthur helped her mount. As soon as they turned away, Ellie’s smile dropped. Merlin caught her glaring at Morgana and then they shared yet another knowing look. 

Once they resumed on, Ellie road by Merlin and whispered jokes to him to keep him happy. Morgana glared at him a few times but then Eleanor just made fun of her for it. She  wasn’t going to let the witch come between her and Merlin, that much was sure.

When they came upon the beach, Ellie offered to stay with the  horses, and no one objected. She waited a good twenty minutes before making sure the horses were tied up and then followed her friends…and Morgana. She knew that the witch would tell Cendred she was out here and send guards to get her, so she was getting ahead of the curve. 

She took her time sneaking over to the cave and was cautious as she moved through the tunnel. Ellie needed to be on her  guard, or  she’d been thrown in jail like everyone else. She heard swords  clanging on down the tunnel and paused.

‘ _ When we get back to Camelot, I should ask Leon to teach me  _ _ swordplay _ _ …could come in handy.’ _

She waited until no one was in the tunnel and then  continued on her way with the camp’s stirring spoon in hand.  Maybe she needed a sword as well…or  maybe a dagger ? She made another mental note and slowly made her way to the dungeons. 

Now it was time to find a way to get her friends out of here. Ellie knew that Arthur had his own plan of getting out of his and Merlin’s cell but for some reason, there were no guards.

She rolled her eyes and then opened the little  aperture and looked in. Merlin was just chillin.

“Hey there…Where is Arthur?”

Merlin quickly turned and walked over to her. 

“Ellie?”

“Yeah…where is the prince? She stuck her head in and looked up. “Oh, there you are. Will you get down from there? The last thing we need is for you to break your leg or something.”

Arthur slowly made his way down from the rafter and pointedly looked her way.

“What are you doing here?”

“Saving the day!” She opened the door for them. “I figured you two would find your own way out  anyway, but I got tired of waiting.”

‘Where are the guards?”

Ellie hugged Merlin and  ruffled his hair a bit and spoke to Arthur over his shoulder, “I have no idea sire. They weren’t down here when I got here which I thought was  strange, but I decided that getting to you was more important.”

“Right, let's get the others and then get out of here.”

Arthur forged his way ahead and the two friends followed him but a  way away. Merlin took her hand for a moment. Eleanor looked at him and grinned.

“I had a feeling you were gonna need me, Merl.”

They caught up with Arthur who was looking around the corner…there was a guard sitting  outside.

“Any ideas?”

“Just this one.”

Merlin backed up just a tad and then shoved Arthur outward into the hall. He laughed and we watched as Arthur took out the guard. When the burly man had cornered the prince, Merlin quickly said an  incantation , and the guard's trousers  fell .

“Really?” She implored.

He only grinned again and then ran out after Arthur knocked out the  baddie . It was quite a sight to see. We all barged into the cell.

“Ellie!”

The girl nearly tackled her friend in a hug. She was glad she was ok. “Hiya Gwen.” She turned to the girl's brother and gave him a smile. “and you must be Elyan. Nice to meet you.”

“Hello.”

“Where is Morgana?” Arthur asked.

Gwen looked at her boyfriend. “I thought she was with you?”

“They must be keeping her somewhere else.  Let’s go.”

The five of them hurried back out of the cell in search of Morgana. Ellie gave Merlin a reassuring smile but they both knew that the witch was up to nothing good. Once they made it to a hallway, Arthur urged Gwen and Elyan to ride back to Camelot while he went to look for Morgana.

“Elyan look after Gwen, I’m going after him. Eleanor  go with them.” Merlin ordered and then ran off after Arthur.

Ellie knew that she  shouldn’t follow and in fact, she should help Gwen and Elyan get back to the horses but there was something in her gut that told her she needed to be with Merlin. As they ran down another corridor, Ellie grabbed Gwen’s arm and pulled her to a stop.

“I’m sorry Gwen.  I’m gonna help, Merlin. The horses are where we left them.”

“Ellie just come with us,” Elyan said.

The cook flashed a smile at her new friend. 

“Sorry my friends, but I have a feeling Merlin is gonna get himself killed.  It’s alright ,  I’ll make sure we make it back. Go now.”

It was a  pretty weak excuse, but Gwen  bought it and dragged her brother away. Eleanor  immediately ran off to Morgana. As soon as she got to the hall before the throne room, Ellie saw Merlin’s eyes glow gold, and then an explosion happened. 

At the same time, a guard came at the wizard with a knife…Ellie jumped on the guard trying to take him out and she failed miserably. Merlin turned at that exact moment…he had  heard her struggling and sent a magical plush of air towards the guard, bringing him to his knees. This allowed Eleanor to keep the man in a chokehold until he passed  out.

She hauled ass towards Merlin and pulled him as some of the ceiling crashed down around them. She ushered him back towards the way they had come. She could  faintly hear Arthur and Morgana talking so she yelled, “Arthur just grab Morgana, we have to go.” 

Arthur rounded a corner with Morgana in his arms and saw the two.

“What are you two doing here.”

Before merlin could make an excuse, Ellie cut him off. “There was a guard. He grabbed me while we were running away. Merlin just managed to knock him out as that weird blast happened. Was that  you, my lord?”

Arthur who had a look of utter rage on his face and shook his head saying he had no idea what happened. The four of them quickly got the hell out of dodge and made it out before any more guards or Cendred could show up. 

Merlin pulled Morgana’s arm and they flew down the cave. Ellie knew they were  gonna have another ‘chat ,’ so she took these brief moments to distract Arthur and asked if he  was, ok? Arthur must have had the same idea because he stopped her from walking down the tunnel and grabbed her face.

“Ellie, you’re bleeding.”

She stopped struggling long enough for Arthur to inspect the wound before finding it was only a deep scratch but would still need some sort of bandage. He  seemed to be genuinely worried.

“Did that guard do that?” He asked.

The girl nodded and heard Morgana and Merlin yelling at each other. Arthur and Eleanor caught up with the two. Morgana was complaining about her  ankle, but Arthur just picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Ellie grabbed Merlin by the  neckerchief . 

“You are so stupid but I’m glad you’re okay you dork.”

“Come on Merlin!” The prince yelled. 

The two friends frantically hurried after Arthur and the tunnel into the woods. Gwen and Elyan were waiting for them. Eleanor quickly helped Merlin gather the horses. She moved a variety of items off Merlin’s horse and onto Blu to make room for Elyan.

Arthur was talking to Gwen when Cendred’s men appeared. Everyone started fighting but Elyan took on most the cronies. Elyan and Arthur exchanged some  words, but Ellie was helping Morgana on her horse and then once again yelled at the prince.

“Let's roll!”

**…**

“Goodbye creepy castle, Hello everywhere!”

“You’re happy” Merlin  stated .

“Of course, we got out of the shady castle where the shady people were holding Eylan captive and were all alive. What more would I have to be happy about?”

Merlin and Eleanor stared a bit too long at one another as they rode on. Gwen shot her a  look, but the girl just stuck out her tongue. They had stopped a while back when they were sure they were safe before Gwen saw to her head wound. 

Despite a slight headache, she felt completely fine and urged none of her friends and Morgana to worry about her. Arthur had briskly told her to see Gaius once they returned to Camelot just to make sure and then started talking to Morgana about loyalty and helping the ones they care about, his usual  spiel . After their very brief chat, he looked over at Ellie. 

She caught him spying and decided to pretend she  didn’t notice. They  hadn’t been aquatinted long and Ellie was sure Arthur  didn’t consider her anything other than a  cook, but he did care about all the subjects of Camelot and that was why  he’d be a great king one day. 

The prince watched her look around the forest. For  a brief moment , he had forgotten that she spent  most of her days in the kitchens. 

He grinned again and looked around the path that they were on. It was a calm and bright day. Without a moment's thought, he said, “How about another story Eleanor…since you are so fond of them.”

“ Certainly, sire. Now, has anyone heard of the lion, the fox, and the stag?” The girl asked  immediately . 

She heard a groan from the group and Arthur shot everyone but Ellie a glance of apology. He  hadn’t thought she would oblige him. Ellie giggle and started a tale that bided them some time until they got back to Camelot. 

**…**

“But what is the point of the story truly?’

Ellie smiled at her new friend Elyan. “Never trust a liar, they will only cause you harm.”

“How educated are  you, Eleanor?”

The girl slightly froze at Morgana’s words but mustered a grin and turned to the witch.

“My mother was a lady in court…before she met my father. She was educated and once I came along, she told me stories …. the other ladies thought she had filled my head full of  nonsense, but  I have come to cherish all the time I had with my mother. Over the years,  I’ve read all the books I could …. stories fascinate me my lady.”

That  seemed to shut the girl up and Ellie was glad. She no longer wanted to deal with Morgana and was growing tired of her fake friendship she kept offering up. 

Morgana smiled as usual but even Arthur seemed impressed. Gwen was having a hushed conversation with her brother who had switched horses a while back when they had taken a break…that was when they were in no hurry to get back to the castle.

“But you work as a cook?”

“It was never my plan…but fate has a way of changing and not for the best,” Ellie said and looked ahead of her, she could  faintly see one of the parapets of the castle. “Oh look, I see the castle. Merlin care for a race?” 

The girl took off on Blu before Merlin could reply but he followed right after her laughing as they went. They could both hear Gwen  giggle, and she was glad to get away for only a moment. 

There was only so much scrutiny she could  stand, and Morgana was starting to get on her nerves. Merlin sent her a glance that was to ask if she was  alright , but she only shrugged.

“We’ll talk later Merl…just us two.”

The wizard nodded and urged his horse, Cora to gallop beside Blu. There would be much to discuss once they returned to Camelot. As they rode past the gates back into Camelot, the  pendant around her neck slightly warmed her skin. 

Ellie was glad to be home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter...I'm thinking of taking a break from my Star Wars story and working on this just to mix it up a bit and because I've missed this fic.
> 
> Thank you for the comments and for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a huge work in progress. 
> 
> I've written a solid few chapters last spring...and though I've gone over them myself...there are still probably errors. I'm by no means a fantastic writer and I'm always learning but this idea completely took me over last spring and so I began. I'm not sure when this will be finished so just be patient...I'm also working on a few other things with some of my friends but I do intend to finish this at some point.
> 
> Right now I don't have a chapter count depending on how many episodes I would like to focus on. I'm also open to comments and ideas for background characters so feel free. Thanks, and enjoy!


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